Wednesday 26 May 2021

Pet Portraits - Bolin and Asami

 Morning Everyone!

Sorry for being a bit quiet on here recently! 
I've been meaning to share this commission with you all for a while but work has been getting in the way. But, I assure you, it's worth the wait!

I don't know if any of you recall a themed pet portrait I did waaaaaaay back in 2017!!?
I was commissioned by our pal Tom Curry to draw his friend's pet cats; Mako and Bolin, as their Fire and Earthbending namesakes from the Legend of Korra, sequel series to Avatar the Last Airbender.
Okay, it was 4 years ago. I won't blame you if you don't remember, so click right here to check it out!

So 4 years later (having binged all of Avatar the Last Airbender during Lockdown, and now currently watching Legend of Korra myself!) I was approached by Tom's friend to draw an updated portrait of their Avatar cats!
Now I'm all clued up on the lore I was so psyched to have another go at drawing these guys! Sadly I learnt that poor Mako passed away, however Bolin is not on his own as little Asami has joined the family.
Without further ado; here's your boy Bolin, showing off his Earthbending skill, and introducing Asami for the first time, with her lightning gauntlet!




This portrait is A4 landscape and coloured using Copic Markers!

Do you have a pet named after your favourite fictional character or person? Would you like to see them drawn as their namesake? Get in touch and I could draw a portrait like this for you!



Friday 14 May 2021

Sector 13; the 2000AD Fanzine - Law of the Wild!

 


Hey Everyone!

In my last post I hinted at some comics work I've been quietly working away on, so let me take the time to give you lot a bit of background on what this project is all about!

During the first Lockdown last year I was approached by Peter Duncan about contributing some material to an extra special edition of his all ages anthology SPLANK! It was Peter's intention to showcase the wealth of British comics talent with a special bumper issue of his comic during the time when COVID 19 meant comic conventions and fairs had to be cancelled, as well as collect donations for NHS charities to help those who needed it most during this difficult time.
I took Peter up on his kind offer and used it as an opportunity to revive my own anthropomorphic, autobio comic strip; Paws for Thawt! 

The free digital download for SPLANK went live on May 28th 2020. If you missed the launch post you can read more about it here!
I can also happily say that since this issue of SPLANK! my Paws for Thawt webcomic has kept going strong! I'm continuing to post weekly updates on the Paws for Thawt Tumblr and Instagram pages so give them a like and a follow to stay up to date!

Anyway, you're probably wondering what all this has to do with this latest project and Sector 13!?
Well, after my involvement with SPLANK! Peter introduced me to the 2000AD Fanzine he is Editor for and presented me with the script for a short anthropomorphic he thought would be a perfect for for my illustration style!

Sector 13 itself is a strictly non-profit 2000AD tribute comic founded by the Belfast-based fan group of the same name. What started as a compilation of articles and photo stories featuring the groups cosplayers, has turned into a high quality A4 sized publication teeming with talent from the British indie comic's scene! You can read more about Sector 13's story and get hold of previous issues over on Peter's website: BOX OF RAIN
Or check out the Sector 13 Facebook page for regular updates and news!

The story that I'll be working on for this next issue is called "Law of the Wild" written by the fantastic Ed Whiting!


Ed has written stories for Sector 13's pages previously, making his debut with his 50's throwback Futureshock story "Lethal Weapons" April this year! Ed has also produced his own self published comic "Bigger Fish", a 44 page gritty crime story set in the New York of the early seventies. Bigger Fish is available from Get My Comics (follow the indie tab and then look under B for £5.99) https://getmycomics.com/Release/Indie

"Law of the Wild" is a quirky anthropomorphic, sci-fi based, hard boiled detective story! It combines sci-fi body swapping ideas with the seedy criminal underbelly of a noir detective story, all told with quirky anthropomorphic characters! It's so much fun!! Here, to wet your appetites for what's to come, I'll share some character sketches for two of our main characters! Colt Winchester is this story's super cop! A gruff, no-nonsense detective who's not afraid to get his hooves dirty in the fight against crime! He's a horse by the way!


Inspiration for Colt came from a combination of Bojack Horseman and one of my favourite anthro comics of all time; Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist). Seriously if you haven't heard of it check it out! It's incredible! 


Next up we have this villainous venomous viper; Sebastian Ssstan! Sebastian is our story's criminal mastermind, highly intelligent and superior, he might get away with his heinous criminal operation if it weren't for Colt's meddling!
Sebastian was mostly inspired by the Disney characters; Sir Hiss (Robin Hood) and Kaa (Jungle Book) with a nice dash of the stereotypical Supervillain aesthetic.






If you liked to look of these guys, then keep your eyes peeled for the reveal of more character concepts soon!

Don't forget to give the Sector 13 Facebook page a like in order to keep up to date with upcoming news and sneak peeks for this story and the rest of the issue's content, as well as any snippets I might share on my own social media!

Monday 10 May 2021

Pet Portraits - Westley the Dachshund

Morning you lot!

How are we all doing? 
I hope you all managed to enjoy the weekend, despite the crazy weather!?

When I'm not trying to dodge sporadic showers while on dog walks, or on my commute to and from work, I'll be working on a new comics project! This exciting lil strip will be featuring in the 2000Ad fanzine, Sector 13!
Some of you may have seen lil snippets and teasers on my Instagram and wondered what I'd been up to, well I can confirm that this strip is in the works! Keep an eye out for some panels and sneak peeks on here soon!

Today however, I'll be sharing a portrait of a very sweet lil pooch from the US!
This adorable lil long-haired Dachshund is Westley!

Westley's Full-Body style portrait is A4 in size and coloured in a traditional style using pencil.
This portrait was commissioned as a gift to Westley's owner, if you have a friend who's pup means the world to them then a pet portrait would make the pawfect gift!